‘NFC East division on the line’

Watch the Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys, live on Sky Sports Action from 9.25pm on Sunday

Last Updated: 08/12/18 10:45am

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is key their Sunday-night meeting with the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles (6-6) and Dallas Cowboys (7-5) meet on Sunday night, live on Sky Sports, in a crucial NFC East matchup with the division on the line, so we asked former NFL player and NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks break down the game…

Win this game, win the division.

I think it can be simplified down to that, even though whoever wins have still got to take care of business over the final few weeks.

The Cowboys can certainly put a vice grip on the division. Victory would mean they’ve swept the Eagles, and got all the tiebreakers. Really, this game comes down to whether they can impose their will on the Eagles?

5:00 Highlights from the NFL when the Cowboys first took on the Eagles in Week 10.

Highlights from the NFL when the Cowboys first took on the Eagles in Week 10.

But I’m convinced by the Cowboys. They’ve won four straight and I think they have the ingredients to be a team that does damage in the playoffs.

They have an outstanding defense, as we saw last Thursday night when they shocked the New Orleans Saints – they’re playing with an attitude – and, on offense, since receiver Amari Cooper has come over in that trade with the Oakland Raiders, they have found their recipe for being successful.

In Cooper, Dak Prescott now has a No 1 receiver he can trust. It has given this team the jolt it needed. They’re stretching the field, which in turn is lightening the box and allowing Ezekiel Elliott to have success running the football.

1:00 Watch this 90-yard touchdown from Amari Cooper during the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win over the Redskins.

Watch this 90-yard touchdown from Amari Cooper during the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win over the Redskins.

They are a run-first team, a physical team. When they’re at their best, Zeke is carrying the load as a runner, pounding the ball between the tackles. The magic number for the Cowboys is Zeke needs to touch the ball 20-25 times and get 120 plus scrimmage yards. If he hits those benchmarks, the Cowboys win the division.

This offense is playing better. They still haven’t put up a bunch of points, but they are playing the right kind of complementary football that allows their defense to dictate the terms of the game.

And, the defense is legit. Their front seven is about as good as you’ll find in the NFL. DeMarcus Lawrence coming off the edge – his ability to control the game – and they have nice, talented pieces on the inside, with Tyrone Crawford.

4:53 Highlights of the Saints against the Cowboys in Week 13 of the NFL.

Highlights of the Saints against the Cowboys in Week 13 of the NFL.

They can get pressure on the quarterback without having to blitz, and then at linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and Jalen Smith may be the best one-two punch in the league. Their ability to run sideline to sideline making plays makes it very tough for opposing offenses. Defensive coordinator Kris Richard has done a great job

This a fantastic matchup, between bitter rivals. Everybody knows the Cowboys. The Eagles. The Giants. The Redskins.

The NFC East is always captivating and intriguing, because you have brand names, household names, with big fan bases and in big markets.

December 9, 2018, 9:00pm

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But, this game in particular is so huge because the Cowboys have always had a sense of ownership over the Eagles. They feel like no matter what situation the teams are in, they can beat them and dominate them, homer or away.

There’s a lot of confidence there, regardless of what the Eagles accomplished last year in winning the Super Bowl.

But, as we’ve seen, the Eagles are a completely different team. Even though they’re celebrated like the defending champions, they’re not. It’s hard for your team to know they have to earn that right to be the champions again. You don’t fast-forward and automatically get to the playoffs. You have to grind your way through. The Eagles are seeing how tough the grind is.

Doug Pederson and his Eagles team have struggled to follow up their Super Bowl win from last season

Everyone around the organisation understood it was going to be tough the second time around. When you’re the defending champions, you now become everybody’s measuring stick. No matter who you’re playing against and what their record is, they all want to see how they stack up against the defending champs.

They’ve not handled it well. But the big thing is, they’ve not been able to run the football. Doug Pederson hasn’t found the right combination of running backs to be able to give them success. They’re leaning so heavily on Carson Wentz that he has struggled with the weight of expectations on him.

If they are able to balance things up – we’ve seen that the last couple of weeks – that will help. But this is a team that has still yet to find its offensive identity.

Both teams know this is a must-win game. The division is most definitely on the line.

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